Buon Natale! Two Italians Arrive in Time for the Holidays
Break out the panettone because here come two Italians perfect for your holiday fare. This month’s wine club has traveled not only to one of Chianti-region’s smallest towns off the beaten path – Montespertoli – but to one of its smallest communes, Castello Sonnino, owned by Baron Alessandro de Renzis Sonnino, whose winery was supplying Italy’s prime ministers and Secretaries of State with its fine wines back around World War I. Wine reviewers, however, say it is the Baron’s most recent wines, under the watchful and gifted eyes of Winemaker Stefano Chioccioli that are this Castello’s best…thus far. Using a combination of traditional grapes such as Sangiovese, Canaiolo and the rare Ancellotta and international varieties like Merlot and Syrah, most vino-philes believe this estate is headed to new levels of greatness. Like the Baron himself, the wines of Castello Sonnino exhibit tradition, elegance, strong personality and plenty of charm.
2007 Chianti di Montespertoli
Balanced and elegant, this isn’t one of those straw-wrapped bottles of wine better suited to candle holding than sipping with your favorite parmigiano di vitello. Robert Parker describes this rare Chianti DOC as “highly pleasurable with…cherry and red currant fruit, freshness and fragrance, and light tannins.” The classic Chianti flavors are artfully rendered in this wine with 80 percent of it being Sangiovese, accompanied by Canaiolo, Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes. Spice and herbal nuances frame this bright wine with medium body. A delicious glass of wine all by its lonesome, but it is even better on the dinner table.
2007 Leone Rosso IGT
Made from a mix of Syrah, Canaiolo, Ancellotta and Sangiovese, this Super Tuscan lives up to this quasi-varietal superlative. It is a lusciously dark and dramatic wine that always causes a stir. Its nose holds rich, ripe plum flavors as well as berries and vanilla,and its layering of fruit flavors provides a somewhat piquant berry note towards the finish after decadent cocoa and vanilla flavors that together create a multi-dimensional wine with spunk. A hedonistic wine that is perfect to share with friends at your next holiday gathering
